One of the things I look forward to about life in Japan is sake. In Costa Rica, rum derived from sugar cane is the go-to liquor and is often made into cocktails, but I was surprised at the variety of Japanese sake, with a choice of brands to go with the meal. I have toured some breweries producing sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage, to discover the secrets of its flavor.

Sake traditions that are alive and well and handed down from generation to generation in the Five Villages of Nada.

The area extending from Nada Ward in Kobe City to Nishinomiya City, called the Five Villages of Nada, is known as the sake heartland, where the bulk of sake is produced. The area is blessed with a variety of conditions ideal for sake brewing, including mineral-rich hard water that is perfect for sake brewing, and being close to the production area of Yamada Nishiki, which is renowned as the king of sake rice. It has a history that stretches back more than 700 years.

The area suffered severe damage in the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, with many of the breweries collapsing and the stored sake being lost. After the earthquake, the brewers worked hard to rebuild, determined not to let their traditions die out.

Today, about 30 sake breweries that survived the earthquake are scattered throughout the area, some of which offer tours and tastings. This time, I took part in a tour of four sake breweries led by a guide who is well versed in the Nada area. Tour guides will show you around in English, so you can relax. Now, let us enjoy the tipsy feeling!

The first sake brewery is Hamafukutsuru, where I can see the modern sake brewing process.

Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Workshop is a 10-minute walk from Uozaki Station on the Hanshin Main Line.

The first place I visited was Hamafukutsuru, a brewery that has been carrying on the traditions of sake brewing in the area of the Five Villages of Nada since around 1900. There is a mysterious round ball hanging at the entrance … it is called a sugidama and is apparently the traditional symbol of sake breweries. It is a sign that tells visitors to the brewery that new sake is ready from December to March, when it is made. The green color of the leaves changes to brown as the days go by, indicating the degree of maturity of the sake. You can feel the excitement of celebrating new sake!

At the Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Workshop, which is attached to the brewery, I could observe the actual sake brewing process.

Panel display of sake brewing. The top row shows modern sake brewing, and the bottom row shows sake brewing in the past.

As I walked up the stairs of the tour passage, I was first shown an illustration of the brewing process.Sake is a liquor made by fermenting rice and water. The differences between the old days of handcrafting and modern mechanized sake brewing were shown, and the historical flow of the fusion of tradition and the latest technology was easy to understand. After I understood the process through illustrations, I headed to the backyard zone. The workshop was like a museum, and the entire process could be seen through glass windows.

The large tanks that are used to cultivate the yeast starter

What particularly piqued my interest was this yeast starter room. It is a low-temperature room where the yeast starter is made to ensure smooth alcoholic fermentation when sake is brewed. The temperature inside is maintained at about 5°C. You can almost hear the sound of tiny bubbles fermenting inside the tanks. And finally, to the tasting corner. What will it taste like?

Mr. Yoneji Miyawaki, a famous guide, 86 years old as of February 2025.

At the tasting corner, I was greeted by Mr. Yoneji Miyawaki. This year marks his 70th year devoted entirely to sake brewing. He is well known as an expert guide who tells visitors about the charms of sake. He spoke about his passion for sake, including some unique aspects. I ended up getting persuaded to try a variety of sake. Already at the first brewery, I felt just fine. Next, I heard that udon noodles made with sake lees were available at a nearby sake brewery café, so I decided to go right ahead and try it!

Sakura Masamune's Sake Lees Udon is a perfect pit stop between visits to sake breweries.

Sakuraen Special Sake Lees Udon (¥715).

Available from 10:00am to 4:00pm.Between tours of the breweries, I stopped for lunch at the Sakuraen Café, located just inside the Sakura Masamune Museum. Sakura Masamune, founded in 1625, is a brewery that discovered underground water suitable for sake brewing and contributed greatly to the development of Nada sake. The Sakura Masamune Museum, where the café is located, is lined with exhibits that tell the story of the 400-year history of the brewery. It also has a Japanese restaurant and store where visitors can enjoy original sake and kaiseki cuisine all in one building, creating an inviting atmosphere.

The Sakuraen Café serves special sake lees udon noodles during lunch hours. The soup is made with sake lees. The moment it is brought to the table, the air is filled with an aroma of sake lees. The soup had a rich flavor and I finished it all in the twinkling of an eye. Looking at the menu, it seems they also have sake lees curry. I would definitely like to come back and try it!

The second brewery. Learning about the origins of sake brewing at the long-established Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum. 

Honnitaru casks displayed in front of the gate of the Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum. Honnitaru refers to barrels of sake used to enliven various ceremonies such as festivals and weddings.

The Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum is located just across the Sumiyoshi River from Sakura Masamune, about a 7-minute walk away. Kiku-Masamune is a long-established sake brewer founded in 1659 and has been making sake for over 360 years. The museum exhibited the sake brewing tools that have preserved the tradition of dry sake, which is also a perfect match for Japanese cuisine.

The yeast (also called starter) room is the place where the mashing is done.

Almost all of the brewing tools on display in the museum are considered important cultural assets.This booth was lined with mashing barrels. Compared with the tanks in the yeast starter room seen at the Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Workshop I visited earlier, it is clear that this was a very labor-intensive process in the past. It is amazing how far technology has evolved!

And now it is time for the fun part: tasting.

Sampling at the sake tasting corner

At the sake tasting corner, visitors can sample raw sake (unpasteurized sake), which is not heated, as well as other seasonal sake. First, I had some freshly pressed sake. It had a fresh aroma and refreshing taste. Next, it was chilled lemon sake. This is dry sake blended with lemon juice for a refreshing taste. Both were very delicious. Now, on to the next brewery. From here, a 10-minute walk seems just right to sober up.

The third sake brewery. Meet the sake brewing professionals, the kurabito (?), at the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum!

The Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum is a 5-minute walk from Sumiyoshi Station on the Hanshin Main Line.

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery, which began operation in 1743, produces sake that can be found in convenience stores and supermarkets all over Japan and is loved by many people as a familiar drink.

The Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum, built in the 1910s, is an original sake brewery that operated as the first brewery of the head office until 1969. The more than 500 exhibits on display provide an insight into the sake brewing process as well as the lives of the kurabito (brewers) of the time.

Sake brewing process is displayed with realistic brewer dolls.

Motoshikomi (mashing). Stirring the starter, steamed rice, and water.

The brewers are responsible for every step of the brewing process. The work scenes were reproduced with dolls, and the use of various sake tools was explained.The brewers at that time were usually farmers in neighboring towns and villages, and they lived and worked in the brewery only during the brewing season from October to the following spring. The realistic doll reproductions looked as if they could come to life at any moment, and you could almost hear the lively shouts of the audience.

Soft-serve ice cream made with brewery amazake (¥330)

At the shop, I tried sweet sake soft-serve ice cream made with Hakutsuru sake lees. It had a yogurt-like flavor and was very delicious.The liquid that comes out in the squeezing process when sake is made is sake, and the remaining residue is sake lees. This is traditional resourcefulness that enables everything to be used to its fullest.

Finally, I am off to the last sake brewery on the tour. It is challenging itself with sustainable sake brewing, which is a hot topic overseas.

At the fourth sake brewery, Kobe Shushinkan, it is "Bueno (delicious)" in Spanish!

Kobe Shushinkan is an 8-minute walk from Ishiyagawa Station on the Hanshin Main Line.

Kobe Shushinkan was founded in 1751. Its signature product is the brand Fukuju. Fukuju is a globally acclaimed sake, known for having been served at an official Nobel Prize banquet. This Fukuju is the first sake brewing process to achieve zero carbon (virtually zero carbon dioxide emissions). It is also famous as a sake brewery that is striving to produce sake sustainably, and has been a topic of discussion in the media.

In addition to the sake brewery, the facility also houses shops, restaurants and a multi-purpose hall, and had a welcoming atmosphere.

At the tasting corner, there were staff members who spoke Japanese, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. I, of course, expressed my excitement in Spanish with “Bueno! (Delicious!)” There are also staff members who can speak German, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and French. The leaflet explaining the sake brewing process was also available in 16 languages. Just as you would expect from a sake brewery on the world stage!

A bench inside a large barrel, a popular photo spot at Kobe Shushinkan

I spent half a day touring four sale breweries, each with its own unique character, and learned that they are trying new techniques while preserving sake traditions. I am grateful to my tour guide, Takase-san, who brought along various information materials and explained the differences between different types of sake in easy-to-understand English… Ah, I got so drunk that I forgot to take a commemorative photo with Takase-san at the end… See you again!

Touring the sake breweries of the Five Villages of Nada
https://kobelocaltours.com/en/tours/sake-tasting-at-local-breweries-kobe/ 
Sponsored by: Be Toraberu Co., Ltd.
Inquiries: https://kobelocaltours.com/en/contact/ 

Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Workshop
https://www.hamafukutsuru.co.jp/ 
Address: 4-4-6 Uozaki-Minamimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City
Phone: 078-411-8339
Business hours: 10:00am to 5:00pm (last order for paid sake tasting: 4:15pm)
Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday, closed the following day)
Entrance fee: free of charge

Sakura Masamune Museum Sakuraen Café
https://www.sakuramasamune.co.jp/sakuraen/sakuraen_index.html 
Address: 4-3-18 Uozaki-Minamimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City
Phone: 078-436-3030
Business hours: 10:00am to 7:00pm (last order: 6:00pm)
Closed: Tuesdays

Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum
https://www.kikumasamune.co.jp/kinenkan/en/index.html 
Address: 1-9-1 Uozaki-Nishimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City
Phone: 078-854-1029
Business hours: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays
Entrance fee: free of charge
Fewer than 10 people: No reservation required
For more than 10 people: through the reservation website
https://www4.revn.jp/kikumasamune_reserve/  

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum
https://www.hakutsuru.co.jp/community/shiryo/ 
Address: 4-5-5 Sumiyoshi-Minamimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
Phone: 078-822-8907
Opening hours : 9:30am to 4:30pm (admission until 4:00pm)
Closed: Obon, Year-end and New Year holidays
Entrance fee: free of charge
Fewer than 10 people: No reservation required
For more than 10 people: through the reservation website
https://rk-sys.jp/hakutsurushiryo/?s=SiN  

Kobe Shushinkan
https://enjoyfukuju.com/en/ 
Address: 1-8-17 Mikagetsukamachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City
Phone: 078-841-1121 (Reception hours: 10:00am to 5:00pm)
Application for brewery tours: free of charge (reservation required at least 2 days in advance)
https://rk-sys.jp/shushinkan/?l=en&m=pc&s=J4C  
Tomei Brewery (shop and tasting): Free admission
Business hours: 10:00am to 6:30pm
Closed: January 1 to 3